Safeway workers’ strike rapidly expands to more cities | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Massive protests, strikes, and boycotts seem to have some invisible, magnetic force that just draws people to join. That’s because a sense of justice lies within us all, and we can relate to the awful feeling of being treated unfairly.

Massive protests have been taking down unwanted regimes for centuries. Protests don’t need to be violent to be powerful and successful. One of the greatest examples of peaceful protests that inspired many and made a huge impact is the salt march led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930, during Britain’s colonial occupation of India.

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With dozens of supporters, Gandhi walked more than 240 miles to collect salt from the Arabian Sea to protest a law preventing Indians from buying or selling salt in the country. While initially the protest led to the imprisonment of 60,000 people, it drew a lot of attention to the Indian independence movement, which started gaining more support around the world.

The protest is often considered a turning point that helped India obtain independence in 1947. As Gandhi said, “Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking.”

Times have not changed that much. Massive political protests are happening all over the world, and not only in the United States. Just like the many strikes of workers who are fighting for better working conditions.

The Colorado Safeway/Albertsons strike has expended to two more cities.

Image source&colon; Getty Images

Safeway workers’ strike gains momentum

After nine months of negotiations, The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 (UFCW) delivered a 72-hour notice that its employees are terminating their current contract extension and planning to strike.

On Sunday, June 15, workers started a limited strike at Colorado Safeway and Albertsons (ACI) locations: Estes Park, Fountain, and Pueblo, as well as a distribution center in Denver.

Workers are asking companies to address the problems of understaffing, changes to health benefits, and inadequate wage increases. At first, the strike was intentionally limited to minimize the burden on consumers and workers alike, said UFCW Local 7.

However, the union also warned that it could expand as the strike continues, as workers in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, and Loveland were yet to vote on whether to join the Unfair Labor Practice strike.

On June 16, it happened. The strike expanded to two more cities — Castle Rock and Littleton, Colorado.

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Safeway workers at the Littleton store on Broadway and Mineral Avenue and the Castle Rock location at 880 S. Perry St. walked off the job Monday, joining their fellow workers in other Colorado cities who were already on strike.

Strike could grow to become one of the biggest in Colorado’s history

With these latest two cities joining, the total amount of store locations is seven.

UFVW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said that more of the 105 Safeway and Albertsons stores in Colorado could join in the strike. Potentially, 7,000 workers could be involved, which would make it the second-largest labor strike of the year.

The Union wouldn’t disclose which store could be the next to join. Instead in a Facebook post, it explained: “Asking for a company that’s busy sending out emails begging for scabs. Spoiler alert: workers aren’t backing down.

You can fly in scabs and put them up at the Hilton, but you ‘can’t afford’ to fund our health care, you want to steal from our retirees, or pay a livable wage? Make it make sense.”

Safeway Denver Division Communications Manager Heather Halpape said on the afternoon of June 16 that the company is open for negotiations with the union and disappointed it has chosen to strike, reported The Denver Post.

Halpape continued by saying that “allegations of unfair labor practices are without merit. Our focus remains on providing exceptional service to our customers and fostering a positive working environment for our associates. All Safeway stores in Colorado are open and ready to continue serving our communities.”

On June 16, strike authorization votes were held in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, and Longmont, and according to Cordova, those votes will be revealed on June 17, according to Denver 7.